A Comedian in the making

Emma's latest thing is adding "Get it?" to practically any sentence, and then laughing hysterically. Too bad nothing she says is really a joke. Some examples--

V: Emma, pick up your shoes please!
E: Shoes! Get it? (laughter) Get it? (laughter)

V: Emma what do you want for lunch, peanut butter on a bagel or grilled cheese?
E: Cheese! Get it? (laughter) Get it? (laughter)

I think it's pretty funny, just because it's NOT funny- you know what I mean?

Other than honing our comedic skills, we're keeping busy by rearranging some rooms in our house and preparing for the upcoming road trip to California. My kids are usually great in the car, but I need to prepare my bag of tricks just in case. Kyle will be especially thrilled because we'll be riding in "Daddy's Black Car", which he is obsessed with.

Hey, every little thing helps make that long ride smoother!

Ants make me crazy

When I changed Kyle this morning and found ant bites all over his body, I knew it was going to be a long morning.

I spent most of it hunting down the entry points for the ants, obliterating them, and spraying the entire west wall of our house, indoors and out, with insect spray. I had to beat down Kyle's crib and wash it, as ants were crawling all over the frame and the bedding. This was really fun with my protruding belly and stiff, painful hands.

I believe there was only one entry point- the phone jack on the west wall, hidden behind Kyle's crib. But overnight the ants spread through the house- into Emma's room, into the pantry. Fun stuff. Now I get to play the fun game "Where will we find more ants?" I vacuumed all the rooms thoroughly, including the pantry, but you never know where more will show up.

These ants bite. Their bites hurt. A lot. And they itch. A lot.

My poor Kyle....

After I finally got rid of all visible ants, I took Emma to swimming lessons, ran into Walmart for a quick errand, and drove to my OB for a follow-up ultrasound. I couldn't find anyone to watch the kids, so I relied on the Leapster and my Itouch to keep them occupied (thank you portable electronics!) Last week they couldn't see the spine because baby boy was too comfortable lounging on his back, and my amniotic fluid levels were too high. This week the technician got all the pictures she needed, but I have to wait to hear on the fluid levels. Hopefully all will be well....

And hopefully, no one wakes up with ant bites tomorrow.

It's a......baby!

Today was the big 2nd Trimester ultrasound. Baby was happy to show off the nether regions, unlike miss Emma, who took the entire half hour to be cajoled into opening up for the u/s tech.

So, we look forward to welcoming Baby Boy to our family in October.

Here's a cute shot (as cute as ultrasounds can be- and don't worry, no boy parts showing)

When asked what she thinks we should name her soon-to-be little brother, Emma promptly replied "Kyle!"

But Emma, we already have a Kyle.

"Name him Kyle Again. I like that name! We can have two Kyles!"

In the car on the way home I tried to convince her to come up with some other boy names. Reluctantly, she gave up on Kyle and presented this list:

Max (as in Max and Ruby- she names all her toys Max)

Mario (as in Super)

Oso (as in Special Agent.... a Disney show)

I think maybe in my RA-flared state I've been letting her watch too much TV....

Aunt Carolyn

My Aunt Carolyn passed away yesterday. Of all my aunts and uncles, I was probably closest to her. She and my mom were close. Her kids are closest to us in age (well, some of them). For years our families exchanged Christmas gifts. I have fond memories of Carolyn and her home: playing in the hot tub, getting Arbonne makeovers, wondering when I was little why people called her "Cookie". At my baptism, my bishop thought she was my grandma because if her gray hair (there's quite an age difference between her and my mom). She saved the day at my wedding by fixing the busted zipper in my gown. I loved the miniatures she so painstakingly put together. The few times we drove through Denver we could always count on Carolyn and Bill to let us stay in their home. My memories are scattered through time like my words here. It's hard to believe she's gone, even though it's been years since I've seen her. We are going out to Denver, her home, this summer, and I was really looking forward to introducing my kids to her. I'm sad they won't ever know the fun, spunky lady I grew up with. I am glad her long battle with cancer is over, and I look forward to seeing her again someday. We love you Carolyn, and our thoughts and prayers are with your family.

I had a birthday-shout hooray!

Even though my arthritis has been acting up and I feel like I'm 61, not 31, I really had a wonderful birthday.

My day began with presents....

...which the kids helped me open.

We had cake, which Kyle enjoyed smearing on his face.

We got a babysitter and went out for a night at the dinner theatre, where we saw one of my favorite Broadway musicals:

The food was good. The atmosphere was nice. The cast was great, especially the female lead for the character Kim and the male lead the Engineer.

We had front row seats, and the Engineer talks to the audience a lot. At one point, he made some comment right to Marcus, and wouldn't go on until Marcus responded with a nod. He remembered us later when we went through the cast greeting line. Definitely entertaining.

All in all it was a really nice birthday. So, thanks for the gifts and the birthday wishes. It's going to be a wonderful year.

Happy Birthday !!!

Well it’s just past midnight in Arizona which means it’s officially Valerie's Birthday. I just wanted to take the time and wish the coolest mother and wife on the planet a Happy Birthday and hope you have a great day (even though you have to spend it with me).

This is my favorite picture with Valerie (other than our wedding pictures of course), we were on a jeep tour in Sedona back in 2004

Our Week

Our week started on Sunday with coughing, sneezing, runny noses and horrible congestion. And that was just Marcus and me.

Our week included two birthday parties for Emma's friends. Much of those entailed me running around after Kyle, who likes to wander.

Our week included Emma screaming through swim lessons, after loving them the previous week. I don't know what prompted the change. It's really hard to watch your child struggle through something, knowing it's in their best interest. But if the screaming continues, we might have to put off lessons for awhile. Sigh....

Our week saw Marcus and Kyle spend the day together for cousin Chase's baptism and a night out with the Earnest cousins to see the Dbacks play. Emma and I spent the day together because I was in charge of our Primary activity. The rest of the day was nowhere near as fun as I'm sure the boys had- all we got to do was throw a temper tantrum and whine. I did most of the whining.

Our week included a wonderful Mother's Day, complete with a new book, a beautiful bracelet, and a nice wall hanging- along with some special handmade cards.

Our week ended with my release from being the ward choir director so I can fully concentrate on my calling as Primary President. It also ended with Emma throwing up twice last night. She's so independent, though- she tried to clean it up herself before she came and got me. Silly girl.

I'm excited for this week's adventures.

PS- Last week, Emma ate one bite of pizza and one bite of quesadillas. She won't try eating every night, but it's progress.